Handwriting automaticity: the search for performance thresholds

Medwell, Jane; Wray, David

Abstract

Although handwriting has a fairly low status in literacy education, evidence is accumulating that it has an important role in written composition. In particular, handwriting automaticity appears to relate to success in composition. This relationship has been little explored in British contexts and we currently have little idea of what threshold performance levels might be. In this paper we report on two linked studies which attempted to identify performance levels in handwriting automaticity for children at two ages, below which their success in writing composition might be considered to be at risk. We conclude by suggesting interpolated levels for children at different ages, although we recognise the tentative nature of these suggestions.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 26, 2012
• Online Publication Date: Mar 14, 2013
• Publication Date: 2014
• Deposit Date: Aug 31, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 31, 2017
• Journal: Language and Education
• Print ISSN: 0950-0782
• Electronic ISSN: 1747-7581
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 34-51
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2013.763819
• Keywords: handwriting, composition, writing, performance, thresholds
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/713757
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09500782.2013.763819
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Language and Education on 14/03/2013, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09500782.2013.763819.